Handle-bar.



Patented A r; l0, I900.

H. BLAKER.

H AN D L E B AR (Application filed Dec. 30, 1899.)

(No Model.)

I NVEZNTOR.

WITNESSES:

THE NORRIS wnzns 00 Fnorauma. wnwlunmm B4 c.

NITED STATES PATENT Fries,

HUGH BLAKER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

H A N D L E BA R SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,366, dated April 10, 1900.

Application filed December 30,1899. Serial No. 742,144- (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUGH BLAKER, artist, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,.residing at Thurloe Square, Brompton, London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Handle-Bars for Cycles, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 11,280,bearingdate the 30th day of May, 1899,) of which the following is a full and complete specification.

This invention relates to improvements in adjustable handle-bars for cycles in which the bar is formed in three pieces, the center one being attached to the supporting-pillar and the end ones, carrying the handles or grips, being pivoted to the central piece and provided with looking devices; and the objects of my improvement are, first, to provide a reliable locking device, so that the three parts of the bar form one rigid whole when locked together; second, to lock the triggers ofrthe mechanism controlling the locking devices, so that they may not he accidentally moved, and, third, to simplify construction and enable repairs to be readily effected. I attain these objects in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a broken View in elevation, partly in section, showing one end piece of the handle-bar; and Fig. 2 is a broken View in plan, partly in section, thereof.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout both views.

The handle-bar pillar A carries at its upper end the usual T-piece a, in each end of the horizontal part of which is fixed, by brazing or otherwise, a piece B, forming the male part of a hinge-joint, with which a piece 0, forming the female part thereof, engages and is secured by a transverse pin D, formed in two parts, as shown, for convenience and neatness. The piece G carries a sliding piece or finger E, having serrations adapted to engage with similar serrations on the piece B. The locking piece or finger E is hollow and contains a spiral spring F, acting between it and a cap a, closing the outer end of the chamber in the piece 0, containing the finger E. To the finger E is fixed a rod E, which passes through the cap 0 andis connected by a link G or its equivalent with a small lever I-I, pivoted to the tubular part X of the handle-bar at or near the handle or grip Z, mounted thereon. This lever H projects through a slot in the tubular part X of the bar and terminates in a finger-grip h, thus providing a means of withdrawing the finger E out of engagement with the piece B, thereby allowing the one half of the handle-bar to be raised or lowered as desired, the springF returning the locking-finger E into engagement with the piece B when the finger-lever H is released. To prevent the accidental withdrawal of the locking-finger E, the fingergrip h is pivoted to the lever H and is adapted to be folded to lie against the bar and to engage a catch w thereon, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The serrations of the finger E and the piece B are so arranged that the parts of the handlebar can only be locked in three positions with respect to the pillar A, and to relieve the serrations of some of the strain thrown on them when the parts X of the bar are in their highest and lowest positions a transverse pin J is mounted in the jaw of the piece 0, which passes through a slot 12 in the piece 13 and engages its ends when the said parts of the bar are at their highest and lowest positions, re-

spectively.

It will be understood that both end pieces of the handle-bar are mounted and pivoted as herein described and that the position of each can be varied independently of the other. Consequently it is quite easy to alter the positions of the handles or grips while riding by operating one part of the bar at a time, which insures one-half of the bar being always available for steering and balancing purposes. j

The tubular parts X of the bar are fixed to the pieces 0 by means of coupling-nuts, thus providing a ready means of connecting up the parts and of getting at the locking devices for the purpose of adjustment or repairs. On the inner end of each tubular part X is formed an enlargement at, with which a sleeve-nut K engages, the said nut being adapted to screw onto the exterior of the piece 0, which is threaded to receive it, and so pull up the part X into engagement with the piece 0, the abutting faces being arranged to interlock by means of projections 0' on the piece 0 and Y curved parts of the bar.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to make the handle-bars of cycles adjustable for the purpose of varying the positions of the handles or grips, and I do not therefore claim such broadly; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I The combination in a cycle handle-bar, of a center-piece having at each end the male part of a transverse hinge or joint, of pieces formingthe female parts of the hinges or joints hinged to the male parts by transverse pins, of locking-fingers contained in the parts forming the female parts of the hinges or joints and having serrations adapted to engage similar serrations on the male parts of the hinges or joints, of curved tubular-end pieces attached to the pieces forming the female parts of the hinges or joints by means of coupling or connecting nuts and carrying handles or grips at their outer ends, of levers pivoted to the curved tubular parts of the handle-bar and connected with the lockingfingers by rods or links, so that they may be Withdrawn out of engagement With the pieces forming the male parts of the hinges orjoints, of springs mounted in the hollow lockingfingers and adapted to return them into contact with the pieces forming the male parts of the hinges or joints, of finger-grips pivoted to the ends of the operating-levers and adapted to be folded against the bar when not in use and to engage catches on the bar to prevent'the accidental displacement of the locking-fingers, and of transverse pins carried by the pieces forming the female parts of the hinges or joints and adapted to engage the ends of slots formed in the pieces forming the male parts of the hinges or joints, as set forth.

HUGH BLAKER.

' Witnesses:

ROBERT E. PHILLIPS,

A. KNIGHT CROAD.

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